Cleaning up: Reckitt sales are lifted by new markets

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If you are looking for a guide to the inexorable rise of the Bric economies —
the likes of Brazil, Russia, India and China — then perhaps you need look no
further than Reckitt Benckiser. Once dismissed as leading lights of the
Third World, they are now splashing out on Reckitt’s arsenal of air
fresheners, soaps and cleaning products.

Indeed, in addition to a raft of new products, demand from emerging economies
helped Reckitt to beat first-half expectations yesterday, making up for weak
sales in Europe. The company — which said last week that it would buy SSL
International, the Durex condom maker,